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Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU; YOU NEED ONLY BE STILL.” Exodus 14:13 (Chapters 13-14)

Pharaoh has allowed the Hebrew children to leave. With them go the bones of Joseph, who made the Israelites swear on oath to return him to the land of his fathers. Suddenly, all of Egypt has to ‘brew their own coffee’ for the first time in generations, and Pharaoh wonders what he was thinking. He amasses his army to bring his slave force back.

On the journey home to Canaan, God made His presence known to the Hebrew children as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, yet they became terrified upon realizing they were followed. Feeling betrayed by Moses they cried out to the Lord. In response Moses delivers the Lord’s message, chapter 14:13. Also, read verse 20 and absorb that God gave light to His children and brought darkness to the threat. What a wonderful God He is. Before another day passed, Pharaoh would cease to threaten Israel again, and upon witnessing this mighty act of God on their behalf, all of Egypt feared the Lord and put their trust in Him.

God’s opposition exists in darkness, a state that makes victory impossible against those that walk with the guidance of Light. When it looks like your faith has become a mockery, hang in there. God is working to make you Holy, and that includes becoming fully reliant on and trusting in Him alone.

His Alone,

Gretchen

Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come. Exodus 12:42 (Chapter 12)

One of the most important nights in the history of mankind is happening. A nation is being born and The Lord is going to judge all of Egypt’s gods (vs. 12). EVERYONE will know that God alone is all powerful and has full authority over all creation when The blood of sacrifice on the doors of the Israelites protects them from death and brings them freedom. This is momentous! It must not be forgotten! So God declares that for generations to come, Israel will celebrate this event and remember.

God doesn’t need our worship, but He demands it. Why? Is He petty? NO! It is for our spiritual well being. God, as our creator, knows that we must always be mindful that He alone saves and delivers us from bondage.

Passover is to be revered. Only Israelites, or foreigners that have been circumcised, may take part in this celebration centered around family.  It is NOT to be blended with other secular activities, it will remain Holy. 

I like a great holiday as much as the next person, but there are things about the One, True, Holy God that need to be set apart from things of casual, secular life. It is for the health of our souls that we take designated, undistracted and uninterrupted time to worship and remember all that God is and has done. He is worthy of our praise.

Love,

Gretchen

Now, the LORD had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. Exodus 11:1 (Chapter 11)

The Egyptian citizenry was ready to conceded defeat and consider the Hebrew people as equal to themselves, thus having the right to worship and celebrate their remembrances where, when and to whom they wished.  Pharaoh has much more to lose, his free work force and unquestioned authority just to name a few. So, God brings this man, that mistakes himself for a god, to the most humble state of being…..the death……of his child….his heir…..and he nor his magicians could stop it. Every Egyptian, every servant to the king, even every cow (who were worshiped as gods themselves) lost their eldest son.

Death respects nothing and no one.  All other plagues might be accounted to some phenomenon of nature, but not this! The Hebrew children are waiting in peace as all Egypt mourned the most horrible tragedy imaginable, the eternal loss of their children.  Now Pharaoh will consent, and LET THEM GO!

It is hard to turn loose of our own authority, but God must be the only God. He will not share His Throne with your ideals, entitlements, expectations, prejudices or demands.  God is good. Trust, obey, follow and let Him be the boss.

Love,

Gretchen

God also said to Moses, “I am the LORD.” Exodus 6:2 (Chapters 5-10)

God said that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart.  This is not an attempt on God’s part to violate His own gift of free will. He was letting Moses know He was not going to interfere in the heart of carnal man. Pharaoh was not going to give up his own autonomy or his free labor without a fight. Pharaohs were considered gods/intermediaries themselves, so to be threatened by another ‘god’ was a fight he absolutely couldn’t lose if he was to remain a ruler.

The plagues were designed to give proof of the power of God over the gods of Egypt. The Hebrews must know their God was the One True,  All Powerful God and become a nation based on this faith alone. For 400 years they had been aliens in this foreign land and they needed their ‘faith focus’ reset. Over the next six months to a year, they renewed the knowledge of a God that protects, keeps His promises and delivers them from bondage.

The plagues were very methodical and purposeful. First, the Nile, the heart of Egyptian economy and worship, turned to blood. Fish died and frogs were driven from its waters into the homes of Egyptians. The Israelites were spared the discomfort. Gnats and flies were drawn to the carcasses of rotting fish and frogs, disease struck cattle and humans were struck with skin infections. Hail and thunderstorms ruined the flax and barley crops, another economic disaster, but again, the Hebrews were spared. Following the storms, swarms of locust robbed the land of everything left that was green, and again the Hebrew children’s crops were not touched. Lastly, the sun god Ru, was irrefutably conquered when ‘he’ was blotted out of the sky for three days.

God demonstrated His absolute authority and trustworthiness. When He was finished, there was no doubt who was God and who was not.

Have a great Wednesday,

Gretchen

But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”  Exodus 4:13 (Chapter 4)

If you ever wonder how long suffering God is, read chapter four of Exodus. Moses, literate Hebrew, educated Egyptian, and practiced outdoorsman and survivor, tries to convince God He’s got the wrong guy!

God gave Moses three miracles to take when he goes back to Egypt, a staff that turns into a snake, a diseased hand that heals, and water that will turn into blood. Moses also has an older brother, Aaron, an eloquent speaker, God has already sent to join him, a father-in-law/priest that gave his blessing and a wife that interceded between him and an angry God. All this and more!  God’s very clear direction and promise of success has been stated! Still, Moses pushed God almost to the point of no return. 

Moses’ life story does not tell of a lazy, unmotivated or rebellious man. Fear and shame are what stand between him and God’s plan. Moses sees himself as neither Israelite or Egyptian, an outcast, shamed by the impulsive sins of his youth. But God is not intimidated by the past and promises to be part of the process at all times. Moses finally sets out on his way. Reluctant? Yes. Assured? He thinks so!

I’m just going to throw this out here, because I took a class about this once……or twice…..or more……at the School of Hard Knocks: God gives the plan and promises all the assets and resources needed to succeed. We answer affirmatively, but become discouraged and defeated when adversity strikes. Suddenly we think He left us alone while He stands in the distance watching to see if we were truly the right person for the call. 

You are not alone. The Biblical narrative is full of just such folks, but God NEVER left them and He won’t leave you either.  Failure is not on God’s blueprint for those that love and obey the Lord.

Love,

Gretchen

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 (Chapter 3:13-22)

Moses is in the presence of God, standing in the place He will return to and receive the Law that will define the Hebrew children as a Holy people. Moses understands who is before him, but how do you explain God to those who didn’t witness this miracle first hand? (There is struggle with this today.) 

We can see how uniquely God has prepared Moses. He went from slave to prince to outdoorsman. In each of these settings Moses was developing the character needed to become a great leader. He was first and foremost a Hebrew, compassionate toward his kinsmen, He became a literate Hebrew/Egyptian, something very rare, then he learned to survive in the wilderness. Yet, God didn’t tell Moses, “YOU ARE.” He said, “I AM.”  I Am the living God from whom all things derive.

God introduces Himself as ‘Jahweh’. This is the first time a personal name is given. Jahweh comes from a Hebrew verb ‘to be’ or ‘to exist.’ So God’s personal name, that which He chooses to be called, means ‘to be actively present.’ Let this soak in! It is also worth noting that although God gave Himself this name, the Hebrew people honored it as sacred. In respect they would not say it aloud, so they substituted the word, ‘LORD’. God’s name is Holy. Don’t use it as slang, but, don’t forget His chosen name is an active verb ‘Jahweh’ when substituting it with a proper noun ‘LORD’.

God outlines His plan of deliverance with the conclusion that when the slaves leave Egypt, they will not go in poverty. They will plunder the Egyptians and the Egyptians will gladly give them clothing, silver and gold, just to be rid of them. There is actually a little humor and irony here.  All the work the Hebrews did for free is now being compensated, gladly and ten fold!

It is so hard to face the unknown future so we cling to the tangible things of today, things that hobble and hurt. But God is already there and IT IS GOOD. Keep God at the center of every endeavor, not as an invited guest, but as CEO.

Love,

Gretchen

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. Exodus 3:7 (Chapter 3:1-12)

Concern-to relate to, be of interest or importance to. To engage a person’s attention to the affects of someone’s welfare or happiness.

Moses resolved himself to the quiet, solitary life of a desert herdsman. Long gone were the days of palace privilege. His crime of murder humbled him, the years in the wilderness (the land he would someday guide a nation through) brought about a sturdy man with survival knowledge. Moses was very much a man blown about by the circumstances of life and the consequences of a reckless moment. We have the benefit of seeing the entire story in a matter of moments and know the miraculous ending, the result of God’s concern. Moses had an encounter with God and was asked to go….with only his faith and trust……having no knowledge of how it would play out….Wow!

The story of Moses’ journey from cradle to burning bush is packed full, and I will give attention to some very important theological concepts, but first and foremost is this word ‘concern.’  By way of interest, because you are important, God chooses to be intimately involved in your life. You can trust Him with all there is to know about your suffering. He is concerned, and that means help is on the way!

God expressed concern over the cries of the Hebrew children who had become oppressed and exploited. He does not like suffering!  He will bring it to an end and deliver you into peace and joy!!

Love,

Gretchen

They said, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” Exodus 2:19 (Chapter 2)

Moses was born into the home of Hebrew slaves. He had to be hidden in a basket, floated in the Nile and guarded by his sister, to protect him from death at the hands of Pharaoh.  However, a princess found him, paid his own mother to nurse him and then took him as her own child where he was given the finest education to be found.

Jochebed, Moses’ mother, did not waste the few years she was given with her son. She instilled the simple traditions of her faith so deeply that all the allurements of a heathen palace did not tempt him into turning his back on the people of his birth or their God. The first forty years of his life, mostly spent in luxury, did not halt Moses’ compassion for his fellow man.

Moses committed a murder that separated him from his homeland and all he knew. As a runaway fugitive he found himself at a well where women who had come to water their flocks were being accosted by shepherds. Moses defended them and took their manual labor upon himself. The father of these women invited Moses into his home and gave him a wife. As an alien in a foreign land, Moses made a new start, but little did he know, God was preparing him to be the liberator, with a perfectly designed and developed skill set, of His covenant nation.

If you are distracted or overwhelmed by hardship and disappointment, stop and ask what wonders God is preparing you for. Perseverance isn’t for the faint of heart. So, the difficulties we struggle with may simply be fitness training of the soul.  Moses had to grow and learn, and so must we.

Happy Friday,

Gretchen

The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Exodus 1:17 (Exodus 1)

370 years have passed since Joseph was governor of Egypt. The Pharaohs have long forgotten their debt of gratitude and begin to feel threatened by the growing population of Israelites.  This fear led to prejudice and oppression and soon the Hebrew/Israelite children were enslaved. Egypt became the world’s wealthiest and most advanced civilization, all on the backs of this exploited labor. 

God hears the cry of those who are broken and hopeless. Pharaoh’s answer to the growing numbers in a culture he did not approve of, was to murder all the baby boys, but allow the baby girls to live and eventually intermarry among the Egyptians. His objective was genocide. God sent rescue by way of faithful midwives who honored human life rather than the edicts of their government. Among those saved from infant death was a child, from the tribe of Levi, named Moses.

My words sound somewhat political. They are not. I am summarizing a story that displays God’s character and heart. He is good, He is love. Cries do not go unheard and man’s evil is never the end of your story. Pray, trust, hope and know, that God is doing something beyond the visible. 

Love,

Gretchen

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? Genesis 50:20 (Genesis 47-50)

Joseph saves his entire family and the nation of Israel from demise during the seven year drought. Pharaoh instructs Joseph to settle his father, brothers and their families in the best land Egypt has to offer, Goshen. There they remained. When Jacob died, he was honored and mourned as if he’d been a king. After he was embalmed, in the Egyptian style, he was returned to Hebron and buried with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and his own wife Leah. This burial cave was the only land owned by an Israelite, but someday Israel would be given the entire region of Canaan. Years later, when this nation returned to claim Canaan, they took Joseph’s bones with them, just as he had asked them to do.

Following the death of their father, Joseph’s brothers felt less secure in his good graces so they forged a letter from their father imploring Joseph to take care of them. Joseph’s response is above. His righteousness shines through. Man’s deeds, or misdeeds, will not determine his actions, only God has that authority.

It is easy to see God at work through the faithfulness of man, but less clear when devious and self-interested men allow personal ambition to hurt others. But, the character of God is loving. He takes care of us no matter where we find ourselves. What man means for evil, God will make good and bless others too.

Love,

Gretchen